Look E-765 Gravel

12 replies · 463 views

ljsmith
762 posts
#1Aug 1, 2020, 11:27 AM
This is an e-bike, I know a lot of people hate e-bikes, but I thought I would post this up for anyone that may have interest. So why do I have an e-bike? My main gravel bike is a Salsa Warbird. I gravel tour on the Warbird so I ride long distances, a typical training ride is 100 miles or more. However I am now 45 and starting to have issues with my knees, mainly torn menisci. So sometimes after long rides my knees are hurting, for instance I just rode the whole C&O canal in a day on my Warbird and my left knee was hurting the next day. Having an e-bike allows me to continue to ride/train without doing further damage. Most people see e-bikes as something for lazy people who don’t want to work hard and maybe that’s true in many cases. Well in my case, it allows me to continue to train and get on the bike when otherwise I might have to be off the bike for a few weeks or stuck inside riding the spin bike.
This bike uses a Fazua motor. I wanted the Fazua because it is light and it is not noticeable in use, meaning you actually don’t notice that the motor is on because the support is minimal. The battery is 250W/hr. You get three power levels that you can adjust. I typically ride with about 30W, going to 60W when going uphill, the third level I have set to 100W, but I rarely use this. You can set it to 250W if you really don’t like pedaling hard, but that’s only going to last an hour. The motor cuts out at 20mph, so it doesn’t allow you to fly down the trail at dangerous speeds. The other great thing about the Fazua is that you can remove the battery and motor and ride the bike as a regular bike, which I have done numerous times. With the motor/battey removed it is actually a very nice riding bike. If I didn’t have my Warbird I would definitely use this as both an e-bike and regular bike. The bike weighs 29 pounds with the motor/battery and 22 pounds without.
One of the things Fazua claims is that with the motor and battery in, you can ride this without power as a normal bike and just use the battery when going up steep hills. However, there is a slight amount of motor drag and the increased weight is noticeable. Riding it without using the motor, I am 0.3 mph slower than on my Warbird. So if you are riding in a group, if you are not using the motor you are going to have to draft to keep up (or leave the motor/battery at home).
Tire clearance is 27.5 x 2.1 or 700c x 42. Though I have found that 700 x 40 is pretty close to the seattube.

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ccand51997
265 posts
#2Aug 1, 2020, 2:07 PM
That is pretty cool. I never thought too much about ebikes and then I had a brutal day on my first trip back to France in 25 years. I was doing the loop from Bourg D'Oisans to Col de Glandon and then Col de Galibier and I overestimated my fitness and ended up riding like 9 hours but the last half of the Galibier was a nightmare (which to be clear is a function of degree--it is always going to be difficult). Since I inevitably ride solo, having an ebike to push me through the flats and slight uphills would get me to the bottom of the climbs with a bit of energy and mean I could suffer a little less.
On that same trip I watched my wife blissfully pedal along behind me up a mountain despite never riding a bike at all. She had a decent time and enjoyed the ride thanks to that ebike.
I've read about the Fazua motor and suspect it is going to be popular for the hard-core cyclists that want to be able to continue their familiar routes as they get older. I'm really looking forward to see this tech improve as I get a little older and my children grow up to riding age.
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chas
1,305 posts
#3Aug 3, 2020, 3:14 PM
THat is friggen gorgeous. I love it.

I was waiting and waiting for an e-bike Grail, but then they made the thing with a heavy mid drive motor and battery, and 50mm tires. probably a good decision, but I think their endurance ebike would be more fun for me as I love a light weight ebike.

I build mine about 8 years ago (shortly before specialized did their first bike), and it is a ball. I prefer riding without power assist, but the ebike gets use as a commuter (beats being in a car) or when I just want to go further afield from what I would normally do. My DIY Specialized ebike is one of a kind. A small motor, single speed drop bar road bike. You would never know it was an ebike watching me ride it. It weighs 25lbs, does 25mph for 25 miles - with me providing about 1/2 the power.

I figure some day someone might make a nicer bike - maybe this is it. Although the e-canyon costs about 1/2 what the Look costs.
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chas
1,305 posts
#4Aug 3, 2020, 3:49 PM
Just gotta say - how do you sell a bike like this in Europe when it won't go over 15mph on its own power? Glad the US versions tend to have a 20mph limit (even though I can generally go 20mph on flat pavement, it could be useful on hilly gravel).
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ljsmith
762 posts
#5Aug 3, 2020, 4:13 PMedited
chas wrote:Just gotta say - how do you sell a bike like this in Europe when it won't go over 15mph on its own power? Glad the US versions tend to have a 20mph limit (even though I can generally go 20mph on flat pavement, it could be useful on hilly gravel).

I actually imported the bike from Italy last year since it was not available in the US at that time, I also got it much cheaper. So it originally had a 15mph speed limit, which I have raised to the US limit now. Honestly on gravel the 15mph limit was fine since most the time I am near that speed and for the brief periods over 15, I didn’t really notice when the motor shut off. On the road it’s another story, since I spend almost my whole time on the road over 15.

I too just checked out the new Canyon. It’s too much motor (and weight) for what I want.
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chas
1,305 posts
#6Aug 4, 2020, 3:54 PMedited
Yep, I was bummed that Canyon did that. I'd probably end up buying Canyon's endurance ebike (because of the Fazua motor) and sticking 35mm tires on there. But really, 40mm is the sweet spot.
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ccand51997
265 posts
#7Aug 4, 2020, 9:48 PM
chas wrote:Yep, I was bummed that Canyon did that. I'd probably end up buying there endurance ebike and sticking 35mm tires on there. But really, 40mm is the sweet spot.

I was curious about the Canyon and think they did really a good job overall and that Bosch motor is a really solid, well refined motor. However, I would agree that the more serious cyclist is not looking for a 500-watt boost. The Bosch motor is the one my wife rented last year as part of a burly e-mtb that the shop guy rented us because it had the biggest motor battery. It got my non-cyclist/non-fit wife (don't take that wrong, my wife is the best) up the mountain we climbed in a way she mostly enjoyed the experience.
If I was buying a bike for my family, I would buy the Canyon, but for myself, the Look with the Fazua motor would be much better. At 50, I realize I'm not 25 or 35 and would like a bit of help. I don't need 500 watts to climb like Big Miguel.
As for Europe's 25kpm rule, I'm sure it is aimed at commuters in congested cities. I think they need a secondary 'cycling' rule that is between 30-40kph that applies outside of city boundaries. If given the choice, I'm going to spend all day climbing and want to suffer up the hills; having a motor to zip me along between climbs at 25mph like I was in the peloton would be perfect.
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chas
1,305 posts
#8Aug 5, 2020, 10:28 AM
Good points. The bigger motor in the Grail and the smaller (Fazua) motor in the Endurance make sense for most people. I just like light and fast with moderate boost.

I just bought a canti fork for my 7yr old DIY e-bike (specialized) so I can get something bigger than 28mm in the front. My big chance to get my dream of a light ebike with 40mm tires.

It is like riding in a paceline. I was doing the paceline thing last night and averaging about 25mph - on the ebike I ride solo at the same speed. ;-)

You are right about Europe. Much of the bike usage is for commuting on paths, and 15mph was plenty for me doing that (although I don't need assist at those speeds). In the US I tend to do about 20mph commuting (and need a shower).

e-bikes can go faster than 15 in Europe, but they need to be licensed - and I'm pretty sure you can't do 40km/hr on a bike path. ;-)
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FrankM1
2 posts
#9Aug 6, 2020, 11:50 AM
One brand you guys should consider is "Argon 18", check out the Subito E-Gravel or the Subito E-Road, yes it's a rear hub motor, but I think it would do the same as the LOOK
but at a must cheaper price.
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Titj
8 posts
#10Aug 28, 2020, 8:40 AMedited
That looks great and if it allows bike lovers to keep riding, then it's wonderful.

Just last night I saw a GCN video with the Orbea Gain, I had no idea these existed. Very cool, and it's definitely something I will consider in 5-10 years or so. My knees will decide.

https://youtu.be/oIdlHlbSzqY
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ljsmith
762 posts
#11Aug 28, 2020, 9:04 AM
FrankM1 wrote:One brand you guys should consider is "Argon 18", check out the Subito E-Gravel or the Subito E-Road, yes it's a rear hub motor, but I think it would do the same as the LOOK
but at a must cheaper price.

That looks like a nice bike, but a hub motor is a no go for me. I swap wheels all the time, so that would mean having to have multiple motors. For me the big plus with the Fazua is being able to remove the battery and motor easily to ride it as a normal bike. I really don't know how easy it is to replace the hub motor wheels with a regular wheel as I am not sure if the axle is a standard size.
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chas
1,305 posts
#12Aug 31, 2020, 8:51 AM
ljsmith wrote:
I really don't know how easy it is to replace the hub motor wheels with a regular wheel as I am not sure if the axle is a standard size.

Its not standard. I've built several bikes that started out with Quick Release axles, but the hub motor is about 2mm larger in diameter. They do have flats on them that are the same size as a dropout, so they wont' spin too easily in the dropout, but you need a beefy dropout to put a hub motor in.
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chas
1,305 posts
#13Aug 31, 2020, 8:56 AM
I did finally convert my 23mm road tire ebike to a gravel bike. It has horizontal dropouts, so I could squeeze a 32mm tire in the rear (which is my preffered size in the dry), and I got a canti fork for the front so I could put my favorite 40 mm tire on.

Did a nice 2 hour, 40 mile ride yesterday (cruising speed 20-25mph, average speed 20mph). The beauty of this is that I can get much farther away from home even though I'm just leaving from my front door. Its also kinda nice being able to do road speeds even though I'm on mixed terrain. That is one way to open up new roads.

I do about 90% of my riding on an analogue bike, but ebikes are rather fun in their own way.
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